Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 7/20/2009

Question
I recently bought a new humidor and a electronic humidifier thinking it
would keep the humidity lower.  I don't have any AC in the house or any cool
places to put my humidor.  What can I do to keep my humidor from creating
so much humidity?  Currently it is at 75% I cannot seem to get it lower.  I live
in San Diego , CA which is shocking to have so much humidity to begin with.  
The fact is though that I cannot seem to find a place to keep my humidity
level about 70%.  I have some cubans that have been subjected to high
humidity for the past month is there a way to save them?

Answer
John,

First, understand that you are measuring relative humidity (RH), which is the humidity level relative to the temperature at which the cigars are stored. The baseline is 70 degrees/70% RH. For every degree your temperature rises, your target RH decreases by 1%. Since you don't have a/c, I assume your temperature is somewhere around 75 degrees, so you'd be shooting for about 65% RH. Before you try to fix the situation, it is very important that you are confident that your hygrometer is measuring the RH correctly. If you don't know how to check it, send me an email at b.finck@finckcigarcompany.com and I'll send you instructions. If your RH is actually too high, you'll notice the cigars becoming very soft. If that is the case. al you can do is remove the humidifying device from the humidor. The box by itself cannot create humidity, so unless the air in your home is too humid, your humidity level will come down.

Hope this helps. let me know if you have other questions.

Bill